Destination Boomers

If turning 50 was fatal, why are we still languishing around in our sixties and seventies now? What’s the deal? Hitting ’50’ didn’t ruin your life? You’re kidding me, right? Surprise, surprise, we did survive that infamous 50th birthday!
So where were you at 50?
Was is it a party you had or a pity party?
Is 50 still way ahead of you, then bear with us. It’ll be here sooner than you’d think. Trust me on that. You might need to read this.
If you had children back then, at 50 your kids were probably right in the middle of their college years (if they went). That had to bring some relief, right? Wrong.
Whoever told us things were going to get easier when our kids grew up was a big liar. The trouble that they can find themselves amidst in early adulthood is exponentially more life altering. Ask any parent of a child gone astray.
It’s been interesting looking back in this AGE series. My goal wasn’t to focus on each stage negatively but to bring a more honest view of both the pros and cons of all ages. We tend to forget the bad and focus on the good. That works, except when we’re fantasizing, about life when we were significantly younger. We all do it.

Ok, we’ve spoken about going back to being five years old and 10, then back to our twenties and to being 30-somethings once again. But to go back to being 40, nope, that’s just not my idea of a good fantasy.
But why, do you ask?
Maybe the word, teenager, comes to mind.
Or say divorce, as many of us had the angst of experiencing in that last ditch effort to, “get it right.” A “teenager” is a long word. It appears between the ages of 13 and 19. There’s so much to cover. Parties, periods, driving nightmares, prom, boyfriend dramas, girlfriend disappointments, drug temptations, beer and alcohol.
Sounds like a boat load of crud to me, being a teenager.

As I look back at being thirty, I must have been incredibly busy. With two little girls, my life was full of shuffling baby seats, giving baths and picking up toys. The die hadn’t been cast for baby #3 yet, and besides, life was full.
My career was on hold but then again thinking back, was it? Work was essential but for many years, part-time was all that worked. Over half the time, staying at home, was what made the most sense.
Money was tight, as we were living in S. Calif., on one income. Our nights out were minimal, and so were our connections to the outside world.

We’ve already turned around and thought about being five years of age, and also ten, in this 9 part series of looking back.
So it’s time to graduate. Let’s take a serious sneak peek back at our lives at 20.
Do you remember being 20?
The biggest concern, at that point, was just getting our lazy asses to college classes? And, the focus was surviving finals or more importantly, who’s party to crash next.
Money wasn’t exactly flowing in. In fact, avoiding our roommate with the utility bills was an art form. Driving our car until it ran out of gas, was sometimes unavoidable.
So why, when we think about that time in our youth, do we believe it was super glamorous and carefree?

I’m sitting on an airplane this morning waiting for it to start down the runway. The flight’s half-full and no one’s beside me, plenty of peace and quiet and lots of elbow room. Yay! There’s no reason not to write; there’s no diversions and plenty of time. Being able to go to sleep on a flight is a bit of a struggle for me. Naps, happen, um – once a year. The bonus is, time flies by when you’re having fun and writing’s fun now.

Are you convinced life was 100% better for you when you were younger?
Maybe you believe your twenties were your best of times.
Isn’t it human nature to exaggerate the best memories, and forget the bad, or is life supposed to be more of a yin and yang?
Are you convinced life was 100% better for you when you were younger?
Maybe you believe your twenties were your best of times.
Isn’t it human nature to exaggerate the best memories, and forget the bad, or is life supposed to be more of a yin and yang?
Yin and Yang
When were we the happiest?
Let’s take a look at each pivotal decade in our lives.
Do you remember what made you laugh or cry?
Here is the beginning of a – 9-part series on – “Looking Back.”
Was your life truly better before?
Can’t wait to hear what age you think was the best and why?

We took a drive the other day to the Napa Valley.
It isn’t prime – “SPRING showtime” – in NAPA, that’s a good month away, but nevertheless, it was spectacular!
Our final destination was St. Helena, which is – “The surprise GEM of the WINE country.”
For years, my career gave me the unique opportunity to spend an inordinate amount of time driving to Napa and Sonoma,
heading from school to school. The glorious views of the wine country outside my car window as I sped along, like the seasons, are fixated in my memory. Almost every month, they pull me back north. Back to where you can find peace and infinite beauty on the roads and beneath the vineyards.

The only way to give you a picture of this lovely, must-see stop in Puerta Vallarta is to show you!
Hope you enjoy this photo album from our day at the VB Gardens of Puerta Vallarta. They always need volunteers and your support!
Take it from me it’s so worth many visits throughout the year.
The only way to give you a picture of this lovely, must-see stop in Puerta Vallarta is to show you!

Hope you enjoy this photo album from our day at the VB Gardens of Puerta Vallarta. They always need volunteers and your support! Take it from me it’s so worth many visits throughout the year.
Vallarta Botanical Garden relies tremendously on your generosity and support as we continue to grow and maintain our tropical paradise for the enjoyment of Puerto Vallarta residents and our visitors! They offer many ways to help the gardens stay beautiful.

So what’s the deal with friendship? Do we need 10-20-30-40 friends, or are they merely acquaintances?
They say – A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out. – Walter Winchell
For more encouraging quotes from familiar people, such as Hubert Humphrey, look here: FRIENDSHIP QUOTES
Back to – what it means to be a true blue FRIEND.
Karen Carbo in PSYCHOLOGY TODAY speaks to many of the pertinent issues with friendship: “The conventional wisdom is that we choose friends because of who they are. But it turns out, that we love them because of the way they support who we are.
What gives meaning to your life?
Friendship figures at the top of the list.
Karen goes on to say – “The dynamics of friendship have remained mysterious and unquantifiable. Like romantic love, friendships were thought just to happen. Self-disclosure characterizes the moment when a pair leaves the realm of buddyhood for the rarefied zone of true friendship. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” – May well be the very words you say to someone who is about to become a friend. Reciprocity is key. Those who know what to say in response to another person’s self-disclosure are more likely to develop satisfying friendships. Our friends are there for us through thick and thin, but rarely cross the line: A friend with too many opinions about our wardrobe, our partner, or our taste in movies and art may not be a friend for long. We have with our best friends on a “beyond-the-call-of-duty” expectation. If we suffer an emergency—real or imagined—and need to talk, we expect our best friend to drop everything and race to our side.”

This presidential ELECTION has me thinking.
Wouldn’t it be terrific to know, which way things will work out?
Do we want to know about elections before they end or for that matter – our whole future ahead of time?
Sure, it’s appealing for many reasons and yet, is it?
Have you ever wished to know the future? Most of us have at one time or the other, I presume.
But before we consider the pros and cons – let’s take a look here: 13 CNN
Authors and Political Contributors to CNN FEARLESSLY state their PREDICTIONS for Eight EVENTS including the upcoming election –
What does CRYSTAL BALL mean then and where did it originate?